Nothing's Ever Lost Forever
by darkmagic-luvr
Summary: Not so much a family of business tycoons as much as a family of master assassins, the Mikaelson's have run New York for the last 15 years by building up their reputation and keeping their true colors close to the vest. Caught up in an exhausting feud with a rival family, Caroline Forbes finds herself smack dab in the middle of it all. klaroline, kanna, jerbekah, kalijah - AHAU
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Nothing's Ever Lost Forever**  
**Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries  
**Author:** darkmagic-luvr/thecunningcock  
**Pairings: **Klaus/Caroline, Kol/Anna, Jeremy/Rebekah, Elijah/Katherine  
**Rating:** M for blood and sex and fun shit like that.**  
**

* * *

Caroline made a face as she flipped through her overly stuffed day planner, idly stirring her latte while Elena offered up suggestions; Amber Bradley was a witch, simple. She had fired the caterer, changed the color scheme of the party twice and now, to top it off, had decided that the theme (the beautiful theme that had taken Caroline literally a week to organize) wasn't what she wanted. The party was in two weeks, and Caroline was in hell.

The light of her Bluetooth blinked rhythmically in the reflection of the window Caroline was sitting next to, and she sighed dejectedly, slumping into her chair. "I could always kill her," she suggested moodily, ignoring the look shot at her by the little old lady passing her table carrying a spiced apple cider. Elena, after an uncomfortable moment of silence, snorted.

"_Perfect! Just hire a hit man."_

"What could go wrong?" Caroline wondered loudly, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling with a few small shakes of her head. Elena giggled in her ear while she sighed, picking up the straw in her drink and sticking it between her teeth. "I just wanna pull the sparkly stick she's got shoved up her ass and whack her over the head with it - _Crap_."

"_What is it?"_

Caroline grimaced as latte poured out of her cup and soaked into her lap, spitting her straw into the seat across from her and lifting her day planner (her friggin' _life_) out of the way of her coffee. "I spilled my drink. I'll call you later, 'kay?"

Elena may have answered her, but Caroline was honestly too busy trying to stop the flow of coffee from getting to her purse to notice. Serves her right for multitasking, that's what her mom would say if she were there. Caroline grumbled darkly under her breath, thinking of all the time she was about to waste by having to go home and change and start a pre-soak on her clothes to get the coffee out before she could get back to work and the fuck-awful day she was having.

"Here, let me."

Caroline whipped around, eyes going a little bugged in surprise to find someone standing behind her holding a handful of napkins. He (_oh god there's an attractive man coming to my rescue, watch me swoon_, Caroline mentally slapped herself) stepped forward, handing her a few of the napkins before he started mopping up the mess she had made with her coffee. Caroline stared at the side of his face, absently dabbing at her jeans until most of the table was clean. He glanced at her, a smile twitching at the corner of his mouth when she wasn't fast enough to pretend she wasn't staring.

"Thanks," she managed, smiling shyly. Caroline watched him straighten, leaving the soiled napkins on the tabletop and grinning down at her, his light eyes crinkling at the corners and dimples appearing in his cheeks.

"I'm Klaus."

_just before_

"I'm not saying I don't like the exhibit, but my stuff doesn't really have a _flow_."

Klaus snorted, shaking his head as Jeremy once again undermined his talent. "I'll admit it's a subtle connection, but you _do_ have a method to your madness, Jeremy." The younger man laughed once, grinning as he wrapped an arm around Klaus' shoulders and steered him off the sidewalk and toward the direction of a Starbucks across the street. Klaus rolled his eyes at the man's dedication for coffee after a bike messenger swerved sharply around them. "My inside sources tell me that your art has a theme, and when all of your pieces are hung and the lighting is finished you're going to _tell me what it is_."

Jeremy rolled his eyes. "Inside sources my ass. What are you bribing Rebekah with to get her to spill on my dark secrets?"

Klaus clucked his tongue, stepping out of Jeremy's arm to pull the coffee shop door open for them, leaning in close to hiss into his ear when he passed by. "My promise to not rip out your spleen."

Jeremy threw his head back and laughed, walking inside with Klaus close behind, shaking his head. It had been so much easier to deal with Jeremy when he was a sleep deprived hermit coffee junkie; curse Rebekah for making him a mostly-functioning almost-well-adjusted member of society.

Jeremy shook of his laughter as he made his way to the cashier, glancing back with raised eyebrows to silently ask Klaus if he wanted anything. He shot back a look that clearly told Jeremy where he could shove his coffee, and slipped his hands into his coat pockets to patiently waiting for him to finish ordering. He hummed along to whatever song was playing overhead, examining a few coffee mugs on a display absently until he looked away and did a double take on a blonde woman sitting by herself near the window.

The deep blue cardigan she was wearing set off her skin tone in a lovely way, and the way the sun caught her hair was almost dazzling. He stared for a few moments until Jeremy stopped at his shoulder, sucking caramel off his thumb and following his gaze until he found what had captured Klaus' attention. He immediately perked up at the sight of her.

"That looks like Caroline."

Klaus swung his head around to frown at Jeremy. "Caroline?" he asked, his tone twinged in warning. Jeremy nodded, sipping on his drink for a moment before he realized Klaus was still staring at him; he raised his eyebrows at the older man just before his eyes widened.

"Oh!" he started, clearing his throat; he shook his head at the implication, making a face as he backpedaled. "God no, she's friends with my sister."

Klaus hummed, pacified, and started in the direction of the door when Jeremy grabbed his elbow and hauled him back. "Gilbert, what on earth-?"

"She's single," said Jeremy suggestively, tilting his head to the side innocently as Klaus glowered. "And you haven't looked at a girl like that since I've known you."

"I'm not really interested in women at the moment," said Klaus stiffly, even though he knew Jeremy was right. It had been a long time since anyone had peaked his interest. "No time, you understand."

Jeremy scoffed. "Oh c'mon, Caroline's awesome." Another look. "Whatever, I'm gonna go take a nap ("Really?" muttered Klaus, narrowing his eyes.); don't forget that you have a uh...lunch date." Klaus folded his arms across his chest, staring at Jeremy pointedly. He only shrugged and sipped his coffee. "Rebekah 'll kill you if you miss it."

Klaus opened his mouth to tell Jeremy off, when someone cursed loudly, drawing both of their attentions toward Caroline. Klaus winced as coffee spilled over the edge of her table, watching as she scrambled to get her stuff out of its path. He could feel Jeremy's eyes on him again, but before he could usher the young artist out the door with him, he was gone, leaving Klaus alone to make a decision.

On one hand he could leave and forget Jeremy had ever dragged him into the shop in the first place, but on the other...

"I'm Klaus."

Caroline blinked at the odd name, but found herself grinning back at him. His smile was practically infectious, and he was _really_ cute. His fair hair curled around the top of his ears, and the stubble on his jaw gave him a rugged appearance despite the business look he was sporting. "Caroline."

Klaus folded his hands behind his back. "It's nice to meet you, Caroline," he said, and she liked the way her name sounded with his accent. He nodded towards her stained jeans. "You should probably get those off before that sets," he said, and Caroline felt herself warming at the innuendo. Images of _him_ taking her pants off for her flashed across her mind (And who could blame her? There was a gorgeous foreign guy talking to her about taking off her pants, how was she not gonna picture him naked?) and Caroline scraped her teeth over her lower lip, looking him over again more closely.

"Can I buy you a cup of coffee?" she asked, not at all nervous, because honestly, she was Caroline Fucking Forbes and being forward with guys was what she did best. If she didn't have a shot with someone, she liked to know upfront; she'd been through too many failed relationships where that wasn't the case. She lifted a shoulder, glancing over at the cashier counter. "As thanks for the help."

Caroline watched uncertainty flash across his face, and for a moment thought he might say no; but she felt so much lighter on her feet when he nodded his head, a small smile crossing his face. "Sure. Black?"

"Great!" she beamed, spinning on her heel and practically skipping to the counter. She order his coffee and another one for herself, turning back around with her order to find the table cleaned and Klaus sitting in the chair across from the one she had occupied earlier. He was staring at her still open day planner, trying to read her handwriting upside down as he waited for her; Caroline's smile softened as she sunk into her chair and pushed his coffee across the table to him, watching him look up at her with raised eyebrows and bright eyes.

"I don't think I've ever actually met someone who kept a day planner that wasn't electronic," he said, tacking on a soft 'thank you' as he accepted his coffee from her. Caroline smirked.

"I have one of those too," she said, giggling when Klaus raised his eyebrows at her in surprise. "I have my own business, so it's really important to me that I'm always organized."

"Really?" he started with interest, folding his arms across the table and leaning toward her. "What kind of business do you have?"

"I'm...a party planner," admitted Caroline weakly. "Not my ideal choice of occupation, but it's a start."

"What _do_ you want to do?" Klaus asked her. Caroline felt herself drowning in his eyes as he spoke; most guys didn't really care so much about her job unless they were playing her, but she could hear the genuine interest in his voice. "You're a party planner so...maybe weddings? Or a designer?"

Caroline blinked, a little floored because those had all been dreams of hers when she was in high school. Journalism had also been high on the list, but she loved being an organizational messiah too much. "Actually, interior decorator," she said. "I like filling spaces, and if people want to give me money to do it..." she trailed off with a shrug, listening to him laugh and deciding she liked the sound.

Maybe her day wasn't going to be so terrible after all.

"New York does have some interesting space," he said with a nod, reaching for his coffee for the first time. "Have you lived here long?"

Caroline shook her head. "Moved into the city for college after I graduated high school. I'm from this small town in Virginia called Mystic Falls."

Klaus hummed, nodding at what looked like recognition. "I know someone from the town," he said, looking down as a sudden beep interrupted their conversation. He grimaced at the screen of his phone and looked up at her, his eyes shining apologetically. "I'm sorry, love, I have to go," he said, tossing the endearment out there casually for Caroline to swoon over. She watched him stand, taking his coffee with him and stop, giving her a considering look for a moment. "Would you like to go to dinner with me?"

Flirting was one thing, but an actual date was another. Caroline hesitated, she honestly had no time for relationships, as she was trying to support her business and that was practically a twenty-four hour job. She couldn't even _remember_ the last date she went on.

"Rain check, maybe?" asked Klaus, interrupting her thoughts with his dimpled smile. She hated turning down a nice guy (and he seemed like a _really_ nice guy), and he sounded like he was genuinely interested in her; and as Caroline watched the really good looking British guy give her one last smile and turn away, she realized she was nodding.

Keeping her eyes on his back, Caroline felt like...she had just made a really dumb decision. Did she really just decline a date? Well..._well_! The high school girl in the back of her mind reared her glossy, perfectly curled head and snarled that she needed to get _laid_. The rational, mature, grown up part of her snarled that she needed to stop watching True Blood reruns and take a friggin' night off.

Caroline shot out of her chair like a rocket, nearly spilling on the sticky floor as she scrambled back around to grab her day planner and coffee, and once again because she forgot her purse. The wind blew her hair into her eyes and mouth as she walked out onto the street, and Caroline barely registered how harassed she must have looked as she twirled in a circle to try and spot Klaus. There was a brief, heart dropping moment where she thought she'd lost him, when the crowd at her left parted and she caught sight of his blond curly hair.

"Klaus- Hey!" He didn't hear her; he was waiting on the corner for the light to change with his hands in his pockets. Shouldering her bag, Caroline half walked-half jogged to the crosswalk, weaving between a few people who weren't smart enough to get out of her way. She reached out just as he made to step off the curb.

"Caroline."

His eyes were such a bright blue color in the sun that she nearly forgot what she was going to say. But Caroline recovered quickly and smiled just as brightly, flipping open the planner she still had under her arm and pulling out her business car. He stared at her hand for a moment, frowning cutely at her. "I'll meet you at seven."

Looking absolutely smug (and maybe he would put her heart through the cleaners after all), Klaus took her card from her and read it. "'Caroline Forbes, The Best Decision You'll Ever Make'." He grinned, flicking his eyes up to meet hers. "That I'll happily put to the test, Miss Forbes."

.

Rebekah swung her feet childishly from the counter she was sitting on as she watched Klaus pop the lock on his briefcase. Her eyes narrowed curiously on him, at the same time twirling her hair around her finger innocently. "So...Caroline, huh?"

Klaus hummed, pulling something shiny out of his case and eyeing it closely. Rebekah rolled her eyes and dropped her hair, leaning back on her hands and crossing her legs; she tapped her foot impatiently, still staring at her brother. "And you have...no thoughts?"

"It's just a date, Rebekah."

The blonde snorted. "You haven't been on a date in more than a year." Klaus didn't answer her, and Rebekah sighed, leaning forward and staring hard at the side of his face. Klaus picked a rag out of his case and ran it over the knife in his hand. "You were with Tatia for three years before she died, Nik; are you sure you still know _how_ to date?"

"Get to the point, Rebekah," snapped Klaus, though his voice was soft. His hands stilled and finally fell back to the table, where he leaned on the surface with a dark look in his eyes. Rebekah felt for him, her eyes tightening slightly in a grimace.

"I just want to make sure you're ready, big brother."

Klaus turned his head slightly, looking at her with crinkled blue eyes and a small smile playing around his lips. "How sweet of you," he said, and Rebekah heard a bit of sincerity in his voice. "Caroline seems perfectly lovely to me," he continued, straightening and flipping the knife back into his hand and swiping his thumb across the edge. "There's something...enticing about her."

"I thought you said you just had a coffee with her?" asked Rebekah duly, raising a perfectly plucked eyebrow at him.

"I did-"

"Then how the hell are you falling in love with her already?"

"I'm _not_," said Klaus, shaking his head as he chuckled; turning to face his sister fully, he placed one hand on his hip and pointed at her with the knife in his other. "Do I need to buy you a dictionary, sister? She has an aura about her that's very appealing to me."

"And _aura_?" repeated Rebekah with a snort. "That'll be Tatia, all that spirituality crap. She's lingered with you."

"That isn't necessarily a _bad_ thing," muttered Klaus, rolling his eyes. "I can't just forget her, Rebekah, she's part of who I am. And I'm not just suddenly in _love_ with Caroline, I think she's..." Klaus paused, searching for the right word; Rebekah watched with waning interest as Klaus looked away. "Beautiful."

Rebekah's eyes narrowed instantly, disbelief written across her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a muffled whine over Klaus' shoulder. Rebekah leaned to the side to stare around Klaus as he turned, both eyebrows raised in surprise. "Did we say you could make noise?" asked Rebekah nastily, her nostrils flaring as Klaus stepped toward a very sweaty, wide-eyed looking man bound to a chair. "How unbelievably rude; we're in the middle of a conversation!"

Klaus strode lazily around the chair and shoved the man's head forward, twirling the knife abjectly between his fingers and without preamble, slit his throat cleanly. Rebekah made a face as blood poured into the dying man's lap and onto the plastic covered floor. "Couldn't have picked a better spot to do this?" she asked casually, a beep from her purse catching her attention as Klaus reached around the slumped body in front of him for the rag he had abandoned near his briefcase to clean his knife.

"Client wanted it done in public. Bloody," Klaus glanced up just as Rebekah did, shooting her a wink. "And you know I like it bloody."

Rebekah rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her phone. "I want to meet her," she said suddenly, flicking her eyes up to meet Klaus just as he finished closing his briefcase. He raised an eyebrow at her, looking down at his watch instead of replying, and clicked his tongue regrettably.

"I'm going to be late if I don't leave now," he murmured, straightening his cuff and grinning cheekily at his sister. He gestured to the dead man casually, heading for the door without another look back. "Clean this up, sister. There's a good girl."

Rebekah glared after him, huffing indignantly as the door slammed shut and she was left alone in a plastic covered room with a dead television producer sitting across from her covered in his own blood. She tapped her fingernail against the countertop a few times, shaking her head once as she put her phone against her ear.

"Unbelievable," she muttered, waiting for the other line to pick up and wondering if she could bribe someone into finishing their clients hit for her. The ringing in her ear stopped, and there was a muffled fumbling before a muffled voice appeared over the other end.

"_Hey."_

"Hey yourself," said Rebekah, hopping off the countertop and sidestepping the pool of blood near her feet. "I'm just finishing up, are you working?"

"_Really? I just saw Klaus, that was fa- oh."_

Rebekah rolled her eyes, smirking into her phone as she grabbed her purse and followed Klaus' lead, heading for the door. "I'll take that as a yes. Do me a favor and take a break? I'll see you soon."

"_Cross my heart,"_ said Jeremy, followed by an over exaggerated sigh and the sound of a paintbrush hitting metal. _"Love you."_

Rebekah paused outside the door, her smirk softening as a bunch of gooey, giddy emotions filled her chest. "I love you, too."

.

There was still steam lingering on her bathroom mirror from the shower she'd taken; she was trying unsuccessfully to toe on one shiny black shoe at the same time as she was curling her hair, the hot iron wavering dangerously close to her cheek as her shoe tipped over as she stumbled into her sink. Most of her makeup was done, and if she didn't stop trying to multitask, she was going to forget to put on the rest of it.

Her blackberry buzzed on the toilet lid, and Caroline very slowly counted to three before she calmly set her curling iron on the counter and grabbed it. Klaus had texted her after she'd given him her number, asking for her address so he could pick her up for their date, which was in exactly...(Caroline checked the time on her phone) seven minutes.

He was getting into a cab to take him to her place now. Caroline winced at the screen, bending down to snag her heel off the floor as she typed out a quick reply, falling into the wall next to her as she tried putting on her shoe one handed.

She liked him, Caroline had decided. She liked his accent and his scruff and his dimples. She could _swoon_ over his dimples alone. He had shown genuine interest in her, he practically knew her whole fucking life story. Caroline paused as she reached for her curling iron again, realizing that she knew practically nothing about him except his first name and that he didn't seem overly fond of coffee.

Caroline finished curling her hair with new purpose, adjusting the strap of her dress after she finished her makeup and grabbing a breath mint as she finally exited her bathroom and immediately tripped over a pair of tangled jeans on her floor. Caroline grimaced at the state of her bedroom, wondering if she had enough time to shove all of her crap underneath her bed just as the intercom buzzed.

Caroline winced as her shoes slipped against the tile of her floor, her heart hammering in her chest from anticipation. "Klaus?"

There was a beat of silence before his British accent crackled through the speaker. _"I'm a little early. Should I come up?"_

Her mom always told her that if she ever invited someone up to her home on the first date she'd be grounded. Didn't matter that Caroline was a fully-grown woman and lived like three states away, Liz Forbes would find a way. "No, no, I'm ready. I'll be right down!"

Caroline turned back to her apartment and froze, taking a moment to collect herself so she didn't get to her lobby looking like a total spaz. Her purse was on the coffee table, her phone was in her hand, and she was halfway out the door before she realized she'd forgotten to put on deodorant and rushed back inside to do so.

"You look lovely," said Klaus, looking particularly good himself as he stood from one of the couches in her lobby. Caroline smiled back, unable to help herself from twirling for him, showing off her legs as her skirt floated softly around her thighs. She heard him chuckling at her antics, and her heels clacked against the floor as she stopped, adjusting her purse on her shoulder with a little flick of her hair.

"How was your meeting?" asked Caroline, tucking her hands behind her back as she led Klaus out of her building. He shrugged noncommittally and touched her arm, leading her to a black car with a driver standing outside, who promptly opened the door for them. Caroline shot Klaus a look. "What do you even do?"

This time Klaus laughed, helping her into the car and sliding in after her, resting his arm across the back seat before he answered. "I work for a sort of talent agency," he explained, fixing his suit jacket as he spoke. "I select my clients based on their raw abilities and build them up in the community."

"And leave them in the dirt when they've outlived their use?" asked Caroline, sounding a touch reproachful. Klaus chuckled good humoredly, not sounding even a little offended by her accusation.

"A few of them, maybe," he admitted with a shrug. "But there are a few that I could consider family." He stopped with a sigh and shook his head, smirking over at her until she felt her cheeks heating up from his gaze. "I hope the rest of your day has gone up since the incident in the cafe."

This time Caroline shrugged. "It didn't get any worse," she admitted, but perked up when she remembered that the only other highlight of her day had been convincing Amber Bradley that Caroline was right and she was wrong, but in not such a direct way. "But I got my client to see the light, and my life is easier because of it."

The drive to the restaurant was filled with Caroline talking animatedly while Klaus listened and prompted her on; it wasn't until they stopped outside a romantic, hole in the wall Italian place that Caroline realized he'd managed to make their entire conversation about her, and she still knew practically nothing about him. Not even his last name.

She was determined, as Klaus offered his hand to help her out of the car, to get _something_ out of him. Klaus placed his hand on the small of her back and led her inside, the red interior giving off a warm, intimate feeling. But Caroline ignored it all, and promptly turned to Klaus with a set jaw and playfully narrowed eyes, because there was no way he was going to sneak around this now.

They were seated and given menus, and all the while Caroline waited for an opening, keeping a careful eye on him while he went through the wine list. He frowned a little as he read, his index finger tapping rhythmically on the side of the menu; there was something brown smeared across the inside of his wrist, under his watch, it almost looked like blood.

Caroline frowned and reached for him, turning his wrist over to get a better look at it, never once thinking that this was crossing the first-date line. "Are you alright?" she asked, now that the light caught the smear she could tell that it was in fact blood. Klaus followed her gaze and quickly cleared his throat, but didn't make a move to pull his hand out of hers.

"Absolutely fine," he said, catching her eye. "It's only paint; one of my clients has a terrible habit of walking around with wet paint on his hands."

It looked like blood to her, but maybe she was wrong. Caroline pulled her hand away with a nod and folded her arms across the table. "Was he at the meeting you were in?"

"No," Klaus chuckled, setting the menu down and mirroring her actions, hunching his shoulders up slightly as he leaned forward. "That meeting was with my younger sister."

Caroline grinned, feeling like she was getting somewhere. "Do you have any other siblings?"

Klaus' eyes narrowed at her, the corner of his mouth quirking up. "I'd much rather talk about you," he said slyly, and Caroline felt her stomach twist in realization. He was humoring her, giving her little bits about himself.

"I'm boring," Caroline groused. "You know practically everything already. Divorced parents, only child, my Dad died a few years ago; I want to know more about _you_."

Klaus sighed, silent for a moment as he looked away. When he looked back there was some heaviness in his gaze that made Caroline nervous, but he was saved from answering her by their server. The interruption successfully deterred Caroline from prying, and it wasn't until they were half a bottle of wine into the night before she remembered that he had been planning on saying something.

Klaus leaned back in his chair, eyeing her warily as she abruptly ended her story about a very drunk camping trip she'd taken with Bonnie and Elena. Caroline smirked back. "Back to you."

"Caroline..."

"You said you had a sister," started Caroline encouragingly, prompting him to finish. She poked at her mostly devoured veal cannelloni with her fork, taking a bite as she stared at Klaus from under her eyebrows. He sighed, just like before, but this time he looked more relaxed (_Probably the wine,_ Caroline mused).

"Rebekah," finished Klaus pointedly, picking up his wine glass and taking a short drink. "I have an older brother, Elijah; I have a younger brother as well, Kol, though he's a little older than our sister."

"Good start," said Caroline, nodding in satisfaction and reaching for her water glass. "But somehow you got me to admit that I stepped on my baby hamster when I was seven, _so_..." Caroline trailed off, watching Klaus wince and smirk into his wine glass. Oh yeah, he owed her for that one.

"Alright, alright. Let's see...Well, Kol's engaged; has been for about a year and a half. He heads up the billing department for the agency - it's a family business, headed by our father. Elijah works in...Actually I'm not quite sure what Elijah does. And Rebekah's still in college, but she's following my footsteps and stealing clients from me."

Caroline giggled; she was an only child, she couldn't even imagine what it would be like having three siblings. She was just about to ask, when Klaus's face darkened a little, reaching up to rub the back of his neck as he continued. "My eldest brother Finn died last year." Caroline felt her stomach sink as feelings of guilt crashed over her.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly, lowering her eyes to the table. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Klaus shaking his head.

"You didn't know, love," he admitted. "I'm not used to talking about myself, I'm not very good at it."

"I think you're doing fine," said Caroline, reaching out to place her hand over his. Their plates were cleared, and there was a brief lapse in conversation as Klaus ordered dessert and Caroline finished off her glass of wine. Her hand never left his, and when they were left alone again, Klaus turned his hand palm-up and curled his fingers around her wrist.

"My life has been a...a bit of a mess," mumbled Klaus, staring at their hands on the table. Caroline watched him lick his lips, tilting his head to the side as different emotions flitted behind his eyes "My mother died when I was sixteen, just after my youngest brother Henrik was killed in a car accident." Caroline swallowed, her chest tightening. She knew what it was like to lose a parent, and her mother had been in the hospital for gunshot wounds on multiple occasions; she'd taken care of her friends after they lost family members too, but Klaus was... practically a stranger, and all she could think about was wrapping him up and never letting go. "I'm not sure that this is appropriate first date conversation," he said, quirking an eyebrow at her. "But are you satisfied?"

It didn't sound cruel, but there was a bit of hardness in his tone that told her he wouldn't say another word about it. Caroline nodded, smiling sadly and tightening her hand around his for a moment in silent support before she pulled it away. "I guess it's been a little while since you've dated."

Klaus smiled back. "I'm better at relationships," he admitted. "And you seem very worth it to me."

The rest of the date was much lighter, filled with banter, during which Caroline learned that Klaus was allergic to cats, hated relish, learned how to sword fight in school, and that his favorite animal was a horse ("I'll take you riding, sometime," he promised her.); and when he kissed her outside her door, Caroline didn't think she would be able to wait the three day minimum to call him again.

She didn't.

Ted Mosby would be proud.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Nothing's Ever Lost Forever**  
**Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries  
**Author:** darkmagic-luvr/thecunningcock  
**Author's Note: **First of all I would like to thank everyone who has read and reviewed so far! Also a huge thank you to my beta Kady for helping me write good. Now go read.

* * *

"_You've reached Klaus Mikaelson, I'm not available at the moment but leave a message regarding your worries and I'll take care of it."_

"_Hey, Klaus- uh...it's Caroline. I just wanted to...call and tell you what a nice time I had last night. I had fun...well not fun but...ugh, you know what I mean. I was actually hoping we could go out again sometime. You said it's been awhile since you did the dating thing, so I thought I'd take the initiative. If I'm being too forward just...don't tell me. Call me back! Or text me, you know whatever's easier. Bye. It's Caroline, by the way. So bye...again."_

The sun shining in through the unclean, paint splattered windows above her bed was starting to become a nuisance. Rebekah Mikaelson hated early mornings, she'd rather just lie in bed until the sun set again; she much preferred the night. Judging by her internal clock, she guessed it was sometime around seven in the morning (but her internal clock was kind of broken), and judging from the cold space beside her she guessed _someone_ had been up for a while. It was probably the only reason she'd woken up in the first place.

Not wanting to start the day yet, Rebekah snuggled further into her pillow, tossing one arm close to her face to block out the light. Over her shoulder she caught the sound of chuckling, and made a face into her bicep. "What the hell are you doing up so early?" she grumbled, peaking out of one eye at the man sitting cross legged at the end of the bed. His face screwed up in amusement, and Rebekah watched as Jeremy turned his head to catch the time on the clock hung up on the wall on the other side of the room.

"Bekah...it's almost nine."

Rebekah grunted and closed her eyes again (broken clock and all), re-adjusting her position to get comfortable as Jeremy sighed in mock-aggravation (or was it real aggravation? Poor lamb, she couldn't be bothered to tell this early in the morning). "Exactly," Rebekah said matter-of-factly, her chipper voice muffled by her pillow. "That's too early."

"Stop moving," grumbled Jeremy, and Rebekah suddenly noticed the sound of pencil scratching on paper. Instead of doing what he told her, Rebekah lifted her head to watch him sketch.

"Are you drawing me?"

The corner of Jeremy's mouth quirked, his eyes narrowing on his page for a few beats before he glanced up at her from under his eyebrows. "What do you think?"

Huffing loudly, Rebekah dropped her head back onto the pillow, hugging it to her tightly as she tried to covet any residual sleep. But Jeremy had effectively woken her up, and with a less disgruntled sigh, Rebekah turned over to watch her boyfriend draw; her movement pulled down the sheet covering her body, and she shivered as Jeremy's eyes darkened on her newly exposed chest. Rebekah narrowed her eyes back at him, her tone light and suggestive when she spoke again. "So...what are you drawing?"

With a casual flick of his wrist, Jeremy sent his drawing pad sailing across the room, making Rebekah snicker at him as he crawled over her, pushing her back against the mattress and kissing her breathless. She groaned into his mouth, arching up as his hand slid up her chest and across her neck, grinding his pelvis into hers and turning her moan into a gasp. Rebekah nipped at his lips as he pulled away, trailing feather-light kisses down her jaw and throat-

"Do you think they fucked?" Rebekah asked. Jeremy shrugged, biting her collarbone lightly as Rebekah's thoughts turned to her brother and the date he'd gone on the previous night, frowning hard because her boyfriend didn't care even a little. "_Jer-_"

Jeremy cut her off with a laugh, pulling away from her neck and hovering over her with a bemused expression on his face. "Bekah, it's _Klaus._"

She pouted, watching him shake his head at her in amusement and lean down to try and kiss the petulance away from her mouth. "What's that-" another kiss, "-supposed to mean?" Jeremy growled and bit down on her lower lip, grinning when she gasped and taking advantage of her open mouth by kissing her hard. Rebekah gave up her questioning for a moment, running her hands up Jeremy's bare sides and digging her nails into his back as he rocked into her, his erection pressing against the inside of her thigh. Breathing his name against his lips, Rebekah hooked her leg around Jeremy's waist, drawing him closer, sliding a hand up his back to thread her fingers through his hair as he moved his lips away from hers and back to her neck, sucking on her pulse point as his fingers danced across her ribs.

"Isn't your sister back in town?"

"For the love of…" Jeremy pulled away from Rebekah to stare down at her, trying really hard not to laugh. "Trading one of your brother's sex lives for the other one's isn't the mark of a healthy relationship."

Rebekah rolled her eyes, reaching up to knead her fingers against his chest, causing Jeremy's eyes to flutter shut as her nails scraped gently against his skin. "'M sorry, love," she murmured, leaning up to brush her lips across his earlobe. "But your big sister has a habit of breaking hearts."

"You _really_ want to talk about our siblings and their sex lives when we could be investing in our own?" Jeremy drawled, turning his head to brush his nose against Rebekah's temple; she kissed the corner of his mouth softly and sighed.

"Yes."

"I think I like you better when you're sleeping," said Jeremy wistfully to himself, snickering when Rebekah whacked him with the back of her hand. Jeremy snapped his teeth at her in retaliation, and immediately a small scuffle broke out between them, Rebekah getting the upper hand and flipping Jeremy onto his back, straddling his hips with a smug, satisfied grin on her face.

"Your sister's boning my brother," said Rebekah smartly.

Jeremy shrugged. "So?"

"So how do you not have a problem with him?" asked Rebekah, looking so utterly adorable in her confusion that Jeremy couldn't help up reach up to run his fingers through her hair. He stared at her, his gaze soft and considering as he played with her long, blonde locks.

"Probably because I'm in love with his sister and don't have any room to talk."

Rebekah turned her eyes down, chewing shyly on her lip for a moment. "I love you, too."

"I'm sorry, I meant Kol."

Rebekah snorted once and leaned down to press her lips to Jeremy's, flicking her tongue against his when he opened his mouth to kiss her back; his hand tightened in her hair, his other hand sliding across her hip surely before moving down the inside of her thigh and stroking her wet folds.

"_Jeremy,_" Rebekah breathed, causing Jeremy's hand to tighten in her hair out of fear that she would interrupt them _again_ with some other complaint about her brothers' sexcapades. She whimpered against his mouth, sliding her hand down his chest and between them to wrap her fingers around his cock, stroking him until he bucked his hips into her hand; she grinned against his mouth, but her amusement was short lived as Jeremy flipped them once again, and in one smooth movement replaced her hand with his and slid into her. Rebekah's breath hitched in her throat, and with a low groan Jeremy pressed his face to the crook of her neck, moving slowly inside of her, the tight ring of muscle around him making him clench his teeth.

Jeremy didn't know if she begged him to go faster or if he told himself to, but after sliding out of her almost completely he slammed back in without warning, the pace of his hips picking up until Rebekah was gasping for breath and hooking her knees over his shoulders so he would drive deeper into her. Jeremy groaned her name into her neck, sure that his fingers would leave bruises on her thighs and sure that her brother's wouldn't appreciate the teeth marks he was leaving in her shoulder. He arched his back as Rebekah raked her nails down his spine, never stopping his thrusts as he somehow managed to control his breathing and hitch her leg more securely against his shoulder at the same time.

She drew his head back down to hers, her fingers curling against his jaw and brushing her lips against his tenderly; Jeremy reached between them, rubbing her clit eagerly to bring her to her edge. Rebekah's mouth fell open as she tightened around him, and in an explosion of white behind his eyes, Jeremy followed her release with his own orgasm, kissing her one last time as he came down from his high.

Rebekah nudged his jaw with her nose as he settled next to her on the bed, curling one arm around her shoulder and pulling her flush against his side. He tilted his head down and pecked her lips gently, humming in content as he closed his eyes.

"He'll be fine, you know," mumbled Jeremy. Rebekah blinked, shaking off her orgasm induced fog in order to process what Jeremy was saying. He looked over at her, raising an eyebrow for emphasis. "Klaus? He's gonna be okay."

Rebekah sighed, pillowing her cheek against Jeremy's shoulder and frowning as she considered his words. "How do you know?"

Jeremy shrugged. "'Cause I know," he said softly, pressing his lips against the crown of her head. "Just because Tatia's dead doesn't mean that Klaus can't move on."

"But -"

"I did."

Rebekah closed her mouth, frowning harder at the reminder that Jeremy's girlfriend had died, too. But that was a long time ago...much longer than the year Klaus had spent mourning his dead fiancé. She watched as Jeremy turned onto his side to face her, his eyes glancing over her face to try and find a tell in her expression.

"What are you thinking?"

Rebekah glanced away. "Just...getting jealous over a ghost," she muttered, tracing invisible patterns on Jeremy's chest with her fingertips. "Does that make me a bad person?" she asked softly, turning her bright blue eyes onto his face. "Hating Vicki just because you loved her?"

Jeremy sighed heavily, covering her hand with his and pressing her palm to his chest. "Kind of, yeah." Rebekah's lip twitched, hearing the sarcasm in his voice and feeling a little better. Jeremy pulled her closer, linking their fingers together and closing his eyes. "Klaus and I aren't the same person."

"Practically," said Rebekah lightly, staring at Jeremy's lips quirk and fade; she smiled, warmth spreading through her chest at how peaceful he looked beside her, even awake. "But no...you're not the same. That's why I'm so worried about Nik."

Jeremy was quiet, for so long that Rebekah thought he might have fallen asleep; she started a bit when he opened his eyes to look at her seriously, his hand tightening around hers.

"It doesn't matter if Klaus has moved on or not, Rebekah," he said, his voice grave. "One way or another he'll get over it; and the Salvatores are going to pay."

.

"I can't believe you left a message like that," said Bonnie, shaking her head as she browsed the rack of clothing in front of her. Caroline sighed heavily, partially in agreement.

After calling Klaus that morning and leaving a message, Caroline had been in serious need of girl time to take her mind off the fact that she had probably made a complete fool out of herself. Bonnie had eagerly agreed and, after relaying all the details of her date with Klaus, told Caroline that she probably jumped the gun on calling him so fast.

"Barney Stinson would be so disappointed," she said, smirking as she glanced up at Caroline. The blonde hung her head, groaning loudly.

"I am an _idiot_," she stressed; it was early afternoon now and Klaus hadn't replied to her voicemail. Caroline was starting to think she might have scared him off. "There was just something about him that made me want to..._go for it_, you know?"

"Wait," started Bonnie, holding up a hand and shooting her friend a look. "Why are you talking like he's already dumped you?"

"Only a matter of time," muttered Caroline, not looking at Bonnie as she turned away to mindlessly stare at an earring stand. Behind her, Bonnie snorted.

"You're a freak," snickered Bonnie teasingly, moving around to stand next to her friend, bumping her shoulder. "You are putting _way _too much thought into this. Christ, Caroline, you've only been on _one_ date!"

"I _know_," whined Caroline exaggeratedly, drawing the attention of a few other customers, slumping her shoulders and turning overly wide eyes onto Bonnie. "I'm smitten."

"Well, be careful," warned Bonnie lightly. "You _just_ met this guy. What's his name anyway-" Bonnie paused mid-sentence as their conversation was interrupted by a series of pings from her purse. Bonnie dug around for a moment, frowning at the screen of her phone. "Ugh, it's Damon."

Caroline rolled her eyes to the ceiling in mock annoyance. "Oh good..."

"Yeah, sorry," she murmured, answering anyways. Caroline listened with half an ear and fiddled with a necklace on display, replaying the kiss Klaus had given her when he had dropped her off at her building. His lips had been soft and warm, and when she had wrapped her arms around his neck and raised herself into the kiss she felt like she was exactly where she needed to be.

"_Zach is what?!_" Caroline turned her head sharply, frowning hard at Bonnie as her friend gasped into her phone. Caroline caught her eye, quirking an eyebrow in question. Bonnie covered the mouthpiece of her phone with her hand and hissed, "Zach Salvatore is dead."

"Damon and Stefan's uncle?" asked Caroline, worry for her friend and his older brother creeping into her mind. "Wasn't he like a business guy or something?"

"Caroline, he was murdered," Bonnie held her gaze for a moment, obviously upset about this news. Caroline knew Bonnie had been spending a lot more time with the Salvatore's since her mom had died, but obviously the news that the eldest Salvatore was dead was causing her a lot more grief than Caroline would have expected. Maybe Zach had been the reason Bonnie had been... Caroline watched her friend snap back to her conversation with Damon, mumbling a quick 'sorry, I was distracted' before she fell silent and listened to Damon prattle on again. "Sure...yeah...yeah soon," Bonnie turned off her phone, digging through her bag once again and moving past Caroline. "I'm sorry, Care, I have to go-"

"Yeah," interrupted Caroline in a peppy-overly-fake tone that Bonnie didn't notice. "Totally, I'll call you later." Caroline watched Bonnie wave absently over her shoulder before she disappeared into a sea of metal studded bras that should have stayed in the 90s where they belonged.

Alone, Caroline sighed and turned back to the jewelry with a disappointed turn of her lips. Maybe she should start hanging out with Damon and Stefan more...Bonnie and Elena never had any free time, and when they did they were with each other and the Salvatores. Caroline didn't know them well enough to just call them up and ask them out for a drink, but maybe she should if it meant-

Caroline started sharply as 'Bye Bye Bye' started blaring from the pocket of her dress; she fumbled for her phone, shooting an apologetic look to the sales rep just before she checked the number and felt her face go numb.

_Klaus._

She stared at her screen, a stupid grin spreading slowly across her face the longer she stared at his name. Realizing that if she didn't pick up he would probably think she was ignoring him, Caroline answered quickly and squeezed her eyes shut as she silently prayed that she wouldn't make a fool out of herself. "Hello?"

"_...Hi? Caroline?"_

"Yes! Uh...hey," amended Caroline quickly, dropping her octave to a less glass-shattering dog-whistle level. But she couldn't stop the smile or the brimming optimism. "You called me back."

She could hear the grin in his voice, and imagined him fidgeting as he talked to her. _"Yes I did,"_ he said. _"I was hoping to talk to you sooner, but I got caught up with work."_

"I totally understand," said Caroline enthusiastically, almost cutting him off as she mentally berated herself for thinking it was anything more. "You must be busy if you have to work on a Saturday."

"_You'd be surprised how much drama comes out of working with your family,_" said Klaus with a chuckle. Caroline ducked her head, chewing lightly on her lip as she listened to him. _"I've spent the last three hours being interrogated by my sister in very conspicuous ways while our brothers tried to conduct a formal meeting."_

"She was interrogating you?" asked Caroline with a smile, swaying out of the way of another customer and catching something blue hiding in a rack out of the corner of her eye. "What for?"

"_You, apparently."_ It was enough to make her pause, but Caroline tried not to interrupt as Klaus continued, instead keeping her attention focused on a very cute royal blue top. _"Which only made me wish I could have taken your call this morning. I'd like to ask you out again, Caroline."_

She may or may not have stopped breathing for a moment. Caroline clenched her teeth to keep from squealing, hugging the top in her hands to her chest as hard as she could to keep her heart from exploding out of her chest. "I would love to," said Caroline, sounding the perfect amount of excited and pleased without being overly eager. After mentally patting herself on the back, she took a deep breath and asked, "Do you like sushi?"

.

"No chauffeured limo today, Mr. Mikaelson?" teased Caroline as she swayed on her feet cutely, watching Klaus walk up to her. He grinned back, jogging the last few steps to her and holding out his arm. Caroline had taken a cab to the restaurant they planned to meet at, and apparently Klaus had walked.

"My father lives in a penthouse just around the corner," he explained, escorting her inside. "He never actually _uses_ it, but it was my turn to water the plants and send over fresh laundry to his office."

"He sleeps in his office?" asked Caroline, her eyes narrowing in disbelief. Was the guy really _that_ concerned with money and his company? Klaus shrugged, his good mood not fading as he ignored the hostess and lead Caroline to the back of the restaurant.

"He gets a bit...obsessive," explained Klaus dryly, leaving her side long enough to step in front of her and pull open a deep red velvet curtain separating the main dining hall from-

"We're eating in the kitchen?" asked Caroline, raising an eyebrow at Klaus. His dimples were practically mocking her as he smirked, like there was a secret he had and couldn't wait for her to find out.

"I have a special relationship with the chef here," said Klaus with a small wink, ushering Caroline through the curtain. A scruffy looking man with a slightly unhinged look in his eyes waved a meat clever at them.

"Mr. Mikaelson," he said brightly, turning his smile onto Caroline (and now that she saw it up close, he didn't look _so_ creepy...). "And you must be Caroline. You know where to go?"

"See you in a bit, mate," said Klaus, clapping the man on the shoulder and touching the small of Caroline's back, guiding her through the kitchen (okay, never mind, it was _awesome_ to see a New York kitchen in action) and behind another velvet curtain. This room was smaller, more romantically lit, and had a handful of tables dotting inside. There was a couple in the corner nursing a bottle of wine, and a large man with a brandy sitting alone. Klaus stepped close to her and pressed his mouth to her ear, lowering his voice to an appropriate level for the current atmosphere. "After you, love."

Dinner was delicious and Atticus ("Just call him Shane," Klaus supplied, pouring her a bit of sake. "He was in a horrific car accident, he woke up from a three month coma with no memories. My brother Finn was one of the silent investing partners for this restaurant. He picked his name out of a book, hence why it's so ridiculous-"

"Say's the man whose full name is Niklaus Mikaelson," mocked Caroline, popping a bit of ginger into her mouth.) was actually kind of entertaining to talk to. Caroline also managed to keep the conversation strictly on Klaus.

"Henrik was ten when he died," said Klaus softly, the alcohol in his system doing more good than bad for his personality as he reminisced about the past. "I adored him. I had just turned 16 when I decided to go for a drive, no real reason, and Henrik wanted to go along."

"It couldn't have been your fault," Caroline comforted gently. Klaus shook his head.

"No," he said, a wistful smile on his face. "Wrong place, wrong time. The semi truck that hit us...the driver didn't have his lights on, came around a sharp turn too quickly."

"What was he like?" asked Caroline, turning her head to the side. It was different being with Klaus, she decided; she already felt like they were in an actual relationship, she was comfortable talking to him about his family, about her family. Klaus' eyes brightened with memories of his youngest brother, licking his lips as he fought around his inebriation.

"He was a little brat," replied Klaus finally, making Caroline grin when he laughed. "He always seemed like he was plotting something devious - I blame my brother Kol for that - he was incredibly talented, and he'd make up these stories...but he was so smug about it sometimes." Klaus trailed off, staring absently into space for a moment before he snapped out of it and looked down, a small smile playing around the corners of his lips.

"You know..." started Caroline slyly, eyeing Klaus haughtily as they walked slowly down the sidewalk in the direction of her apartment; he'd given her his jacket, and she was fiddling with the lapels as they strolled. Klaus hmm'd for her to continue, stopping under a streetlamp as Caroline twirled her way in front of him. "I'm not sleeping with you on the second date."

She'd jumped into bed with too many ex-boyfriends too quickly, she wanted to take things slow with Klaus; she wanted to build something before she rocked the doors off it's hinges with sex. Building metaphor aside, she'd been accumulating the courage to spit that out all night. Klaus only grinned at her and continued walking her home.

A few feet away from her lobby door, he caught her wrist and pulled her into his chest, tilting her chin up with his index finger and kissing her. His lips stayed firm against hers, but it was chaste enough to make her want more, and when he finally pulled away, Caroline was almost pouting.

"Klaus?"

"Yes, Caroline?"

"Would you like to go out with me again?"

"I would love to," he said simply, sliding his hand around the small of her back and leaning in to brush his lips against her earlobe. "But just so you know, I'm not going to sleep with you just because of some _third date rule_." He pulled back with a smirk, stepping away and lifting his arm to flag down a cab. "You'll have to try a little harder to get me into bed, sweetheart."


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Nothing's Ever Lost Forever**  
**Fandom:** The Vampire Diaries  
**Author:** darkmagic-luvr/thecunningcock  
**Pairings: **Klaus/Caroline, Kol/Anna, Jeremy/Rebekah, Elijah/Katherine  
**Rating:** Another thank you to everyone who's read and reviewed this fic so far, and to Kady for being a lovely beta! Also thanks tumblr for listening to me complain. Hope you all enjoy this chapter, it's longer to make up for how much I suck :)

* * *

"Are you sure you want to walk me home in this?"

They'd been on seven dates in two weeks; Caroline had no idea where she found the time between putting the final touches on the party she was organizing and sleeping, but somehow she'd been on _seven_ dates with Klaus. She probably knew him better than she knew her mother by now! And he knew _everything_ about her. She'd never felt more comfortable talking to another person like she did with Klaus. Words just _fell_ out of her mouth when she was around him and...she felt interesting. He listened and asked questions about what she was saying and he was the perfect gentleman. He never said a word about himself unless she asked but she could live with that for now.

But _just_ for now.

Klaus squinted out of the window from where he was standing beside her, grimacing at the sheets of rain falling on New York from the comfort of the dry, warm restaurant they had just finished eating at. It had only been sprinkling when they'd left the sculpture exhibition they'd been at earlier; Caroline touched her hair as she thought about the frizzy, ruined state it would be in when she got home.

"There's no way we're gonna find a cab in all this," he murmured, his breath fogging up the glass. Klaus glanced at her and shrugged, his eyebrow lifting suggestively. "Wanna run for it?"

Snorting, Caroline pushed the door open and stepped out into the downpour, shouting to be heard above the storm. "Fine! But if I fall on my ass you'd better not laugh!"

She slipped and nearly fell into a trashcan, and Klaus laughed so hard at her she couldn't tell if the water streaming down his face was from the rain or his tears. But before she could even snap something at him he'd swept her into his arms and jogged the last two blocks to her building.

"So worth it," giggled Caroline, tightening her hold around Klaus' neck as he spun her around a few times before setting her on her feet. He grinned back, his blue eyes lit up like they were on fire, smoothing his rain soaked curls back as he caught his breath. Caroline's breath hitched in her throat as she took in his drenched appearance, shaking her head with concern because he was going to get pneumonia if he stayed in them for too long.

"Wanna borrow a towel?" she asked cutely, lifting one shoulder and shooting him a sweet smile. Klaus' mouth quirked and he leaned down to press a quick kiss to her lips.

"I'd love to," he said, his voice low. Caroline shook her head, grinning at the ceiling as she turned and beckoned him after her with her hand. He slipped on the tile just as he stopped next to her in front of the elevator, and Caroline pressed her fist to her mouth to keep from laughing. He mock glared at her, keeping one hand against the wall as he regained his footing.

"You're laughing at me."

"I'm not," insisted Caroline as strongly as she could, pursing her lips to keep from doing just that.

"Is this payback for the trashcan? Because if it is, I demand a piggy back ride."

Caroline laughed loudly, unable to keep it down anymore. The elevator doors opened and Klaus shook his head as he slung an arm over her shoulders and steered her inside. She snorted a little as she pressed the button to her floor before turning to him, pointing her finger just under his nose.

"You'll get a towel. And tea!" she added quickly as the cold of the elevator suddenly hit her wet clothes, making her shiver. "If you're lucky."

His arm was radiating warmth through her, but it wasn't enough to stop her teeth from chattering as they waited to reach her floor. Klaus stepped closer to her, his cold, wet clothes only bothering her for a moment before his body heat started to leak through. "God, you're like a heater," she said, pressing closer to his side. Klaus grinned down at her, but before he could say anything the doors opened and Caroline practically dragged him out, walking quickly down the hall to her door.

"Have you lived here long?" asked Klaus curiously, stepping behind her as she fumbled with her keys to get her door open. Caroline shrugged, shouldering into her apartment and shrugging off her coat. She turned, letting Klaus inside with a grin.

"A couple years," she said. "I used to live with a friend of mine, Bonnie, I told you about her."

"You did," said Klaus, his fingers ghosting over the statue of a horse she had sitting on her kitchen counter that doubled as her key holder. Klaus turned back to her, rubbing his hands together for warmth. Outside the window of her balcony lightning flashed across the sky, the rain pelted harder against the glass. Caroline shut her door slowly, realizing that Klaus was in her apartment for the first time. It had been a _long_ time since she'd invited someone into her home, she had zero clue what she was supposed to do. Did she give him a tour? What if he didn't like anything she had?

Taking a deep breath, Caroline turned with a bright smile to find Klaus examining her bookshelf with interest. She exhaled slowly, relaxing her posture as she let her gaze fall over his profile. She glanced in the direction of her bathroom, chewing on her lower lip for a moment and folded her coat on her arms before she spoke. "I'll get you that towel."

Klaus looked up, eyebrows raised, and smiled. "I'd appreciate it."

Caroline nodded, stepping awkwardly in her wet heels and trying not to slip. "Make yourself at home."

She was still in her wet clothes, and Caroline considered briefly changing out of them. She had some stuff that old boyfriends had left behind, but she didn't exactly know how to approach that question with Klaus. She had a feeling he might be a little offended with the knowledge that she kept things from her ex's. Deciding against it, Caroline grabbed a towel to take care of her hair first, glancing in her mirror absently (mostly to make sure her makeup wasn't completely ruined) on her way out. Klaus had taken off his jacket and laid it over the back of a bar stool she had, currently undoing the top buttons of his shirt when he turned to look at her as she walked in.

And Caroline suddenly realized why she hadn't invited him into her place before. His eyes were intense, and his gaze burned into her, heating up her insides and making her catch her breath. She hadn't invited him up because she wasn't sure she would be able to stop; she wanted things to be real with Klaus, she wanted a real relationship with a man (not a boy, she'd gotten so used to boys). He was staring at her like a wolf, with hunger in his eyes; almost like he was coiled to strike if she moved too quickly.

Caroline tossed the towel she had against her hair onto the counter, her heels clicking against the flooring as she moved closer to her boyfriend, holding out a clean towel and quirking one corner of her mouth up when he took it. His eyes never left hers, but he swallowed when her fingers brushed against his. It was a little thrilling for her, to know that she had that kind of effect on a man like him.

"I think I also promised tea," she said, her voice low like a hum. She shivered this time as Klaus lifted his hand to brush her wet hair off her face, flicking rainwater off his fingers.

"Are you cold?" he asked, ignoring the offer for tea and instead taking her hand. She hadn't realized how cold she really was until his hands were on her skin. She swallowed as he covered one hand with both of his, bringing it up to his mouth and breathing hot air against her palm.

"I am a little cold," Caroline heard herself say, her heel sliding against the floor as she moved closer. Her dress unstuck from her thighs briefly, causing cold air to hit her damp skin, watching every crease in his face and the way his eyes darkened, just before they flickered down to her hand.

Caroline watched Klaus press his lips to her cold fingers, palm, and wrist, his breath ghosting across the sensitive skin. Caroline leaned closer, pressing her body against his, her hand trailing down his stomach and feeling him shiver beneath her. She watched his neck pulse beneath his skin through hooded eyes, her breathing becoming heavy when he turned his eyes onto hers.

"Caroline."

She was undone. Listening to her name fall from his lips and she couldn't take it anymore. Caroline raised her hand to his neck, rose up on her toes and kissed him, feeling his hands drop from her and move to her waist, grinding her hips into his. She was on some sort of high as Klaus' tongue invaded her mouth, his teeth sharp as he raked them over her lips, her nails scraping over his collarbone and grabbing the collar of his shirt. She tugged hard and heard the rip of seams as she tore the fabric, pulling away long enough to pepper kisses down the column of his throat. Klaus' hands slid down her hips and over her ass, pulling and lifting her until she was flush against him.

Caroline had always liked using her nails, and she trailed them down Klaus' stomach and heard him hiss in her ear. She felt him tug hard on her hair, gasping as Klaus pulled her head back and covered her lips once again with his. She was ready this time, and fought back, taking control of the kiss and sliding her hand through his short hair. Klaus pushed her backwards, keeping her weight in his hands and steering her in the direction of her bedroom. Her back connected with the wall and Caroline let out a gasp, pulling back to breathe and giving Klaus the opportunity to shake off his shirt. Caroline ran her hands down his chest, feeling his muscles jump at her touch. His hands fell back to her waist, skirting up her ribs lightly and cupping her breasts in his hands. He leaned back down, his breath hot against the slope of her neck, and Caroline's fingers curled under the waistband of his slacks in anticipation.

Caroline arched into his hands. "Take it off," she whispered, her voice catching as Klaus bit into her shoulder gently. He did as he was told, moving his hands off her chest to the hem of her dress, fumbling to gather up the flowy material in his hands; Caroline unzipped her dress at the side just in time for Klaus to pull it over her head. He brushed her hair out of her face, leaning in close and cupping her cheek as he kissed her again heatedly. Caroline wrapped her arms around his neck, stepping out of her heels and onto her toes, pressing her chest against his. Klaus snarled softly against her lips as her cold skin hit his, and in an instant lifted her into his arms. Caroline squeaked in surprise, grinning as he walked them into her room.

"Watch out for shoes," mumbled Caroline, just in time to hear one of her heels go clattering across the floor. Klaus pulled away, glancing down to make sure nothing else was in his path.

"And I thought Elijah had a lot of shoes..." chuckled Klaus, dropping Caroline onto the edge of her bed and kissing her briefly before pulling away to kick off his own shoes. Caroline frowned at him, her lips twitching as she fumbled with his belt.

"Your brother?"

He hummed. "I'd call it a fetish, really."

Caroline tossed his belt away, grinning up at him as he shucked off his pants, popping his knee on the bed beside her and covering her lips once again with his. He pushed her back onto the bed with his body, running his hands into her hair and down her neck as Caroline moaned into his mouth. Klaus trailed kisses over her jaw, down her neck, slipping the straps of her bra off her shoulders and once again biting the slope of her shoulder. Caroline bit her lip, jerking beneath him as a jolt of pleasure shot through her, but before she could get ahold of herself again his mouth had attached to her breast and his hand was kneading the other. His tongue swirled around her pert nipple, his teeth grazing the areola as he sucked hard on her breast.

Caroline tugged on his hair, a stray thought of how it had gotten there passing through her mind before she didn't care anymore and Klaus' mouth was on hers again. His hips rocked into hers, and the hard solid weight of his cock against her thigh started to make her head spin. Caroline bent her leg, digging her heel into the bed to get some leverage as she wiggled her arms between them to try and pry the band of his underwear past his hips. Her cold hands slipped against his hot skin, brushing against the coarse hair trailing down his skin. Caroline twisted her hands inside his pants and grasped his hot length between her fingers, squeezing gently but surely until he was growling in her mouth. He might have said something around her tongue, but the sudden noise brought Caroline back to earth, and she stopped trying to multitask and focused on _getting him inside her._

Klaus bit at her lips, her jaw and then all at once he pulled away, sitting back on his heels and gazing down at her with hooded eyes and a dark look on his face. Caroline heated under him, he was just close enough to touch, her fingers brushing over his cock as he slid the tips of his fingers down the inside of her leg. He had slipped her underwear up to her knees and down her calves quickly, disposing of them like he'd done with her bra - which she realized was just as gone, sneaky bastard - and Caroline watched as he leaned down to follow the path of his fingers with his lips. Caroline fisted her comforter as Klaus' hot breath hit her thigh, feeling the tilt of his lips as his tongue darted out to lick the soft skin near her center.

"_Klaus."_

She felt more than heard him chuckle, it vibrated through her core and made her eyes roll. Klaus was a tease, she should have known, but he must have been wanting this just as much as she had (it had been a long few dates, with nothing but lingering kisses and a few gropes before they said their goodbyes, both of them trying to outlast the other) because he ran the tip of his tongue along her outside folds only a few times before plunging straight in and making her cry out. Caroline hummed low in her throat, pressing the heel of her hand to her eyes as she tried to get herself under control. Klaus held her hips steady as he worked his mouth on her clit, building her high up with his tongue and teeth.

Too soon she felt her release drawing closer, like taunt rubber bands snapping apart as she came around his tongue. Caroline choked for air, her grip relaxing on her comforter as she struggled to get her heart rate down. Her palm was still pressed to her face, covering her eyes, so she jumped in surprise when she felt Klaus brush his lips against her bare ribs, the stubble on his chin scraping along her navel. Peering at him from underneath her hand, Caroline watched him trail kisses up her body, lingering on her neck for a moment before nudging her hand from her face with his nose and kissing her heatedly. She could taste herself on his tongue, which thrilled her. The kiss was languid and hard, and before long Caroline felt herself warming for him again. Like he was reading her mind, Klaus teased her entrance with the head of his cock, his thumb pressing against her clit as he pushed inside her and exhaled against her lips.

Caroline moaned, her eyes fluttering closed as she lifted her hips to meet his; when she opened them again he was staring at her, gaze hooded and lips parted as he thrust into her. It was mesmerizing, intense; Caroline reached up to run her fingers through the back of his hair, gripping at the short curls and holding on, encouraging him to go faster and never breaking eye contact. Klaus made a sound in the back of his throat that could have been a snarl or a moan, but before Caroline could decipher it he had lowered his head and was kissing her. Caroline gasped into his mouth, remembering to breathe, and he took the chance to slide his tongue along her teeth, kissing her slowly as he drove into her. The contrast made her head spin; she hooked her arm across the back of Klaus' neck, pulling him closer as his movements became erratic. Caroline could practically taste her impending orgasm.

Klaus came with a low, muffled roar into her shoulder, pushing Caroline to the edge soon afterwards. For a moment he let his weight settle on her in a cocoon of sweaty, heated skin, just breathing into her neck as she shook beneath him. He pressed his lips to her temple and rolled off her, settling beside her on the bed. Caroline felt her eyelids droop, but she startled back to reality when she felt Klaus' fingers brush through her hair. She turned, shifting onto her side and snuggling up next to him with a content smirk on her face.

"I finally get you into bed," she purred, eyes falling shut. She felt Klaus chuckle through his shoulder as she pillowed her cheek against him. He didn't say anything, and Caroline was halfway asleep when she heard him mutter into the darkness of her room.

"You're wonderful, Caroline."

_three days later_

"- I have no time for your pathetic attempts at flower arrangements, Sarah! Caroline Forbes here, magician under pressure and expert organizer; make it snappy or hang up now. I have shit to do."

Chuckling on the other end of her phone sent her heart fluttering, and Caroline pulled her cell away from her ear to grin at the name on the screen. She was so busy she hadn't had time to check who was calling. Sleeping with Klaus had not been a mistake, it only solidified the feelings she had for him. He was smart and fun and sexy, he snuggled in his sleep but completely denied it when he was conscious, and somehow he had talked her into letting him stay at her apartment for the entire weekend. Bastard knew how to work those dimples.

Now she was standing in the middle of her impending party, directing the caterer and wait staff and generally being the boss; the 120 guests invited to the damn thing would fall over their asses with how fucking fantastic this thing was going to go, and she really, _really_ didn't need a distraction.

"Baby, you have five seconds to say what you need to before I hang up on you." Even if that distraction was her boyfriend, Caroline smirked into her phone nonetheless, not really peeved by Klaus calling her at work. She listened to him sigh in mock exasperation, hearing the grin in his voice when he finally spoke.

"_Hello to you too, sweetheart,"_ he said politely. Caroline's eyes narrowed on a passing shot-girl and snagged the hat she was supposed to be wearing out of her hand and smacked her on the ass with it before handing it back with a warning look, coming back to her conversation with Klaus at the tail end of his sentence. _ "-What do you say?"_

"I'd love to!" said Caroline brightly, pausing for a moment hesitantly, chewing on her bottom lip. "What am I agreeing to?"

"_I can call back, you know,"_ said Klaus, chuckling. _"I've exceeded my five second limit."_

"I was exaggerating," said Caroline, rolling her eyes to the ceiling. "I have time for you."

"_Will you have time tonight?"_ asked Klaus suggestively.

Caroline quirked an eyebrow at his tone. "What'd you have in mind?"

"_Dinner at my flat. I'm cooking for you."_

"You are? That's...kinda sexy."

Klaus snorted on his end, and Caroline heard the sound of a door opening in the background. _"Is that a yes then?"_

She smiled to herself for a few moments before answering. "I think I can manage it, yeah."

"_Good. How's six o'clock?"_

"I'll be there."

"_Can't wait. See you later, sweetheart."_

Caroline ended the call and held her phone to her chest with a thoughtful look. An intimate dinner date with Klaus sounded more than perfect; a little food, a little wine, then going to bed and never leaving again. Caroline barely managed to suppress a squeal as she spun on her heel to take command of the people around her once again.

.

When Caroline was finally able to leave her party it was 6:15 and she was mildly jittery. Klaus wasn't a big fan of tardiness, and when she texted him explaining her lateness as she climbed into a cab all she got back was a single 'k'. She'd frowned at the letter the entire way to his apartment, trying to decipher the hidden meaning behind the obviously out of character response. Klaus wasn't usually so...short with his communication, and by the time the cab finally pulled up to his building Caroline felt like she was close to tears. It had been a long and stressful day for her, an important one, and surely Klaus would understand that?

Some of her anxiety ebbed away as the doorman standing in front of the building stepped up and tipped his hat. He was in his late seventies at least, probably older than the apartments themselves; but Caroline smiled back politely as he pulled the door open for her and swept his arm in the direction of the elevator's.

"Mr. Mikaelson is on the twelfth floor, apartment 1205, Miss Forbes." Caroline spun around, her mouth hanging open with all kinds of questions flying around her head, but the old doorman had already shut the door and resumed his post.

Slightly unnerved, Caroline turned around and headed toward the elevators like she'd been instructed. "Klaus must have told him I was coming," she rationalized to herself, glancing over her shoulder to sneak another look at the doorman. She started as the elevator pinged its arrival to the lobby, slipping in as quickly as she could without looking like she was fleeing. The desk manager glanced at her, but went right back to her computer before Caroline could send her a disarming smile. Her embarrassment had at least shoved Klaus' text from her mind, and it wasn't until she was standing outside his apartment did she remember it.

"You're overthinking it, Caroline," she muttered to herself. "Just like you do everything else. It's cool, he's cool, everything's frickin' fine and dandy." Taking a deep breath, Caroline closed her eyes and knocked.

When she opened them the door was just swinging open, and the man on the other side was _not_ her boyfriend. A tall, dark haired man gave her a once over before bracing his forearm on the corner of the door above his head, smirking at her like she was dinner. Caroline's mind went totally blank for a split second, snapping out of it just in time to stammer something about getting the wrong door.

"You're exactly where you need to be, darling," drawled the stranger, his accent only adding to the cockiness he was portraying. Caroline took a step back, grinning nervously.

"No, I really think-"

He interrupted her with a snort, turning his head to shout over his shoulder. "Oi, Nik! Your girlfriend's here." Turning back to Caroline with a shit-eating grin on his face, he cocked his head to the side and clicked his tongue at her. "Shame on you for not knowing your boyfriend's family, Caroline."

And it clicked. "Kol," she said, pointing at him as the realization dawned on her. "You're Kol Mikaelson."

Kol made a face at her, drawing back from the door. "_Duh_."

Speechless, Caroline followed him inside; he wasn't anything like she expected him to be, not like Klaus talked all that much about his brothers in the first place (it was mostly Rebekah and Henrik he would tell her about, she had a feeling he played favorites). Kol stopped suddenly, turning back to face her with a puzzled look on his face. "Seriously, who were you expecting?"

Caroline shrugged, put on the spot by the question. "Klaus?" she guessed. "Maybe in an apron? With flour on his face, and noth-"

Kol held up his hand, his eyes narrowing a little in what looked like disgust. "Please keep your fantasies involving my brother and the kitchen to yourself."

Caroline giggled before she could stop herself; for a spontaneous introduction to Klaus' brother she didn't think she was doing too badly so far. They were still standing in the hall, the grey walls opening up to what looked like a spacious living room with richly decorated furniture and plush rugs laid across the dark bamboo floors. There was artwork professionally hung and lit along the walls, and the smell of garlic and pasta filled the air, making Caroline's stomach growl (which Kol either didn't hear or pointedly ignored, Caroline couldn't tell which). It was surprisingly homey, Caroline noted as she glimpsed a few surprisingly metrosexual touches to the place - the magazines on the coffee table being one of them, scented candles on the side table next to the door being another.

"Are you done harassing her yet, brother?" came Klaus' voice, followed by his upper body appearing from around the corner. Kol grinned at her, not acknowledging his brother at all.

"Almost," he said brightly, winking at her. Caroline rolled her eyes, sweeping past him to say hello to her boyfriend. Klaus grinned down at her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her close to place a light kiss to her lips.

"Find the place alright?" he asked, stepping away. Caroline followed him into the kitchen, leaning against the counter as he stopped at the stove to lift the lid off a pot of red sauce bubbling in the center.

"About that..." started Caroline carefully, folding her arms over her chest and staring at the side of Klaus' face with narrowed eyes. "Did you tell the doorman I was coming?"

Kol snorted behind them, and Caroline turned her head to see him standing in the living room, arms folded on top of the counter separating that room from the kitchen. He didn't answer her though, and when she looked back at Klaus she could see a smirk gracing his lips. "Don't mind him, love," said Klaus. "He makes it his job to know everything about everyone. I mentioned I was having a guest to him and he assumed the rest."

"He knew my name though."

"Like I said, Caroline, don't mind him," said Klaus, still smirking as he turned his head sideways to look at her. "Don't mind Kol either."

Kol tsk'd as Caroline snickered, sneaking a glance as Klaus' younger brother turned up his nose and headed toward the couch, collapsing on it dramatically and pulling out his phone. Caroline stared at him thoughtfully, trying to remember everything Klaus mentioned about Kol to her; there wasn't much, just that he was engaged to someone and worked with Klaus. What he was doing here_ now_...

"I know you don't like to talk about your family, but I think you need to start," said Caroline, her voice tinged with warning as she turned her eyes onto Klaus. He made a face, glancing over his shoulder at Kol as he picked up on her meaning.

"Kol and Anna live here with me," explained Klaus, talking about Kol's fiancé. Caroline's eyebrows shot up, feeling like that should have been something he had opened with on their first date. He continued hurriedly before she could interrupt. " They needed a place to stay after their flat burned down last year, and after our father basically kicked them out."

"Why didn't you tell me?" asked Caroline softly, feeling hurt; it was like Klaus didn't trust her. "How long have they been here?"

"About three months," said Klaus, sighing. He turned away from the stove to face her, mirroring her by crossing his arms over his chest. "I honestly had no idea he would even be here tonight, we rarely cross paths at home because of work at the company; and Anna works nights, she's finishing up her pathology internship and the hours are hellish."

"Klaus, this kind of stuff is important. Why didn't you tell me?" asked Caroline again. Klaus didn't break eye contact with her, something she appreciated and was slightly unnerved by.

"Because I don't trust people easily and you scare me," Klaus admitted, catching Caroline off guard. "There's a lot you don't know about me, sweetheart, and I'd rather you don't know all of it at once."

Caroline stared back for a moment, struggling to just accept that she couldn't drag information out of Klaus like she wanted too. "Fine," she conceded, poking him in the chest when he relaxed. "But I really don't see what the big deal about living with your brother is! He seems nice."

Klaus laughed. "Kol's a twit," he said loudly, earning a rude gesture from his brother across the room but no other retaliation. "And like I mentioned, my life's a bit of a mess," he continued at a lower volume. "Please don't fault me for trying to keep you from it for as long as possible."

He looked so sad and sincere that Caroline couldn't help but nod, placing her arms against his side and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Can't keep it from me forever," she whispered teasingly, spinning away and out of the kitchen with a grin on her face. "Smells awesome by the way."

Kol glanced up at her as she wandered into the living room, her grin softening as she took a better look at Klaus' apartment; knowing that he lived with a woman, everything made a little more sense now in terms of decoré. Caroline could feel Kol's eyes on her as she wandered around, looking at the artwork on the walls.

"It's about time Klaus brought you around," came Kol's voice. Caroline turned her head, finding his eyes on her backside, flicking them up to meet hers with narrow eyed interest. "I was starting to think he was making you up. _So_ glad to be proven wrong."

Caroline frowned at him, but ignored the comment. In fact she ignored what he had said completely. "You work with Klaus, right?"

"You could say that," said Kol with a cheeky grin. "_I _wouldn't, but only because I loath to associate myself with him too often."

"That's not very nice."

Kol shrugged. "Nature of a sibling relationship, darling. But let's start over, I never did introduce myself properly. I'm Kol."

Chewing on her lower lip, Caroline didn't answer for a moment. There was a good chance Kol could help her learn more about Klaus, then again he seemed like a complete ass (just like Klaus had said). But what did she have to lose? "It's Caroline, not darling," she said finally, turning back around to take one last look at the painting on the wall. "Did Klaus paint this?"

"He does have some artistic gift," said Kol, and Caroline heard him get off the couch to move beside her. She tensed slightly when he brushed against her shoulder. "Helps with his 'talent scouting'."

She glanced sideways at him. "You don't sound too impressed with what he does."

Kol snorted. "My father's given us all roles to play in our families little club, I'm not very impressed with anything that man comes up with."

"You were living with him for a little while until recently, right? Klaus mentioned..." Caroline trailed off, wondering if she was allowed to know stuff like that. Maybe it was one of the reasons Klaus was so secretive about his family. But Kol was nodding like it was no big deal that she knew, gesturing over his shoulder at Klaus.

"We're not on good speaking terms at the moment, and Klaus has never really gotten along with him. It still came as a surprise when Klaus offered to let Anna and I live with him for a while."

"Why don't you just get your own place?" asked Caroline curiously. The Mikaelson's seemed to be loaded, and there shouldn't be any reason why Kol and his fiancé couldn't get another place.

Kol suddenly looked serious. "It's not any of your business, Caroline," he said tightly. It was gone in an instant though, and Caroline mused with the idea of emotional whiplash. "What do you think, Klaus? Should I tell her about your Indiana Jones phase?"

Caroline spun around, eyebrows shooting up as she found Klaus leaning over the countertop mock-glaring at his brother. She pursed her lips, pressing her hands to her mouth to keep from giggling. "You had an Indiana Jones phase?"

"I think the whip is still around here somewhere," said Kol helpfully, making Klaus roll his eyes and Caroline dissolve into laughter.

"Thank you, brat," grumbled Klaus, beckoning them to the kitchen while Caroline tried to breathe. "Dinner's ready. Kol, are you staying or do you have to get back to work?"

"I'd _love _to stay and get to know Caroline better," said Kol suggestively. Klaus wasn't even fazed by it as he turned back around. Caroline shot Kol a look as he passed her on his way to the kitchen, which he ignored. For an engaged guy he seemed like a pig; she wondered if he was actually cheating on her.

"_Car_oline," said Klaus, walking out of the kitchen with two plates in his hands, holding one out for her. She took it with a smile, her stomach growling from the yummy smells as Klaus placed his hand on the small of her back, leading her over to the beautifully set table in the corner of the room.

"Is Kol gonna stay the _whole_ time?" Caroline hissed in Klaus ear as he pulled out her chair for her. Klaus glanced over her shoulder, back at the kitchen where Kol was fixing himself a plate of food.

"I doubt it," Klaus murmured back. "He just wants to embarrass me for a little while, then he'll shove off."

"I heard that," said Kol, sliding into the seat across from Caroline with a grin at his brother. "Now I'll never leave."

"He's kidding," said Klaus, shooting a warning look at his brother, setting his plate down on the table and sliding into the chair next to Caroline. He opened his mouth to say something else to Kol, when the sound of a key in the lock caught everyone's attention. All heads turned toward the front hall as the door opened and closed, keys were tossed onto the side table and a heavy bag dropped onto the floor.

"Something smells amazing," said a female voice, and Caroline watched as a petite girl with Asian features and long curled hair walked it.

Both Klaus and Kol perked up immediately. "Anna!" Kol exclaimed, getting out of his chair and jogging across the room to pull his girlfriend into his arms, interrupting her hello with a sound kiss.

"Hey, Klaus?" piped up Caroline, swinging her head around to look at him; he flicked his eyes onto her, looking happy to see Anna. She danced her fingers across his wrist, fluttering her eyes innocently. "Remember when I said that I wanted you to tell me about important stuff?"

"That was earlier," Klaus pointed out.

"Yes it was," Caroline simpered, nodding along.

"What about it?"

"Telling me that your soon-to-be sister-in-law is _pregnant_ would fall into the category of 'important stuff'."

Klaus frowned, nodding thoughtfully. "Noted."

Caroline shook her head, rolling her eyes in mild humor and looking back at Anna and Kol as they said their hellos. Anna caught Caroline staring and cleared her throat, taking Kol's hand in hers as she pulled away. "Hi, you must be Caroline," she said, swatting at Kol's face when he tried to kiss her again. He managed to distract her for a minute, sliding his hands over her hips before she could pull away again. Klaus brushed his fingers against Caroline's wrist, leaning closer and breathing against her ear, making her shiver.

"First impression?"

"He really loves her," replied Caroline wistfully, turning her head toward Klaus. She brushed her nose against his, closing her eyes as a small smile pulled at the corners of her mouth. "I wasn't expecting that."

Klaus pressed a kiss to the bridge of her nose but didn't say anything; Anna had managed to shoo Kol off of her and had headed toward the table, wrapping her arms around Klaus's neck from behind and hugging him briefly before she straightened and held her hand out for Caroline.

"I'm Anna," she said, grinning at her in a way that almost reminded her of Kol (without the sexual undertone, all that remained was cocky indifference. Caroline wondered how long they'd been dating if they could mirror each other's expressions so well.). She circled the table, placing a hand on her slightly swollen belly as she sat down in the seat across from Klaus, grinning and propping her elbows up on the table.

"I think this is the first time I've seen you in a week and a half," said Klaus, grinning back at Anna as she nodded, stealing Kol's plate of food and digging into it with gusto. "How'd you manage it?"

Anna rolled her eyes, swallowing a mouthful of food as Kol took the seat next to her, tossing his arm across the back of her chair and playing with the ends of her hair. "They sent me home," she said. "Autopsy I was working on was ruled a murder and the Head of Pathology took over," she said dramatically, with an over the top roll of her eyes.

"Murder, really?" said Klaus conversationally, not looking all that concerned. "Who was the victim? Anyone we know?"

"I'm sure you've heard of him," said Anna, shooting Klaus a look that Caroline couldn't decipher. Kol was shaking his head, chewing on his food with amusement in his eyes. Anna turned to Caroline. "So," she started brightly, turning the conversation around and engaging Caroline while Klaus smirked and looked away, "You might have noticed that Klaus doesn't have many social skills," (Klaus flicked a piece of bread crust at her, earning a vicious kick to the shin from Kol. Caroline snickered and agreed with her completely.) "So all I know about you is your name."

"And that you're 'magical'," added Kol. Klaus frowned into his food, glaring at his ravioli as he speared it ruthlessly.

It went on like that for ages; Anna and Kol mocking Klaus as they learned more about Caroline and she learned more about Klaus. More things about his childhood, mostly embarrassing things, and a surprise appearance by Klaus' Indiana Jones hat that Kol managed to dig out of a box in the empty spare bedroom. Caroline had officially decided that Anna was her new favorite person; she had Kol's humor without the underlying innuendos, and she knew Klaus as well as any sister could.

"He was sort of hitting on me, you know," said Caroline suddenly, after Kol and Klaus had cleaned off the table and started bantering in the kitchen as they did the washing up. Anna raised her eyebrows over her glass of water, finishing it off before setting it down in front of her and blinking at Caroline in confusion.

"Come again?"

"Kol," Caroline said, lowering her voice a few octaves and leaning over the table slightly. "He's kind of a flirt."

Anna shook her head, gesturing absently in Kol's direction as she spoke. "That's just Kol," she explained. "He's like that with everyone, plus he wants to piss off Klaus."

"But..." Caroline trailed off, glancing toward the kitchen where both men were talking in low tones. When she looked back, Anna was still shaking her head.

"I've been with Kol for about seven years," Anna continued. "We've been friends since we were in school together; I've known him forever. He's a dick, but he'd never cheat on me."

Caroline's eyes narrowed a fraction, her heart rate picking up slightly as she leaned closer, the table cutting into her chest. "And did he learn that from his...brothers?"

Anna's eyes narrowed back, although she looked like she was about to laugh in Caroline's face. "If you want to talk about Klaus we can, Caroline," she hissed, a grin cracking across her face. "I think you're great for him, honestly," she said almost-seriously, leaning back in her chair and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. "Getting his brooding ass out of the office every once in awhile, you're almost a miracle worker."

Anna was grinning at her, and Caroline couldn't help but return her amusement. Kol suddenly swooped in out of nowhere and pressed a kiss to Anna's cheek, and Caroline watched them with some fondness as Anna's expression softened when she turned her head up to look back at him.

She felt Klaus slide up behind her, turning away from Kol and his displays of affection (obviously the man didn't care that Caroline and his brother were still in the room), and Caroline let her eyes flutter shut as Klaus bent down to whisper in her ear.

"Join me for a glass of wine," he said, temptingly, sending shivers through her as he brushed his hand lightly down her arm. Caroline nodded, not bothering to say goodbye to Anna as she let Klaus lead her out of her chair and out onto the balcony.

"Damn," breathed Caroline, stepping up to the ledge with wide eyes as she took in the view of the city spread out in front of her, lit up with orange and yellow lights, smattered with reds and blues. "This is beautiful."

"New York City at night," mused Klaus, stepping close to her back, reaching around her to hand her a glass of red wine. She turned her head toward him, pressing her nose to the side of his neck and just breathing in the smell of him. She was so tired, and she'd been so busy; it would be nice to just relax with him for a while until she had her next job to take care of.

Klaus brushed his lips across her nose, curling an arm around her shoulders and letting her relax against him. They stood in silence for a few minutes before Klaus shifted on his feet and raised his glass to his lips, pausing to mutter, "So, how do you like my family so far?" before he took a sip. Caroline smirked into his shirt collar, keeping her eyes closed.

"Anna I love," said Caroline. "I think we could really get along." Klaus hummed, but didn't press her to say anything about Kol, and Caroline exhaled silently. His family was important to him, he tried to hide it but Caroline could see that they were his weakness. Whether or not she liked them actually meant something to him; and the same went with their opinions of her, she realized with a frown, pulling away from Klaus to look up at him. "Not sure about Kol yet," she said seriously, turning the corner of her lips up and tilting her head to the side thoughtfully. "He's charming and - you were right - he's a twit…" (Klaus chuckled, a bit of tension falling out of his shoulders that Caroline hadn't known he was holding) "You don't have to be afraid of me not liking your family, Klaus," she finished, a bit lamely, raising her wineglass to her lips and taking a sip.

Klaus ducked his head, grinning at himself while Caroline watched him. "You figured me out, huh?" he asked, looking up at her from under his eyebrows guiltily. She shrugged. "Alright," he continued, straightening up and steering her back toward the balcony. "Anna's good enough for now, she's practically my sister. And Kol's a difficult man to get along with even when he's not being an ass. FYI, they both like you."

Caroline laughed loudly, turning around to look at him. "How can you tell?"

Klaus chuckled, shaking his head. "_Trust me_, you'd know if they didn't."

Caroline hummed, satisfied with the answer. "What were you and Kol talking about?" she asked, suddenly curious to know what the two of them had in common besides a business.

Klaus shrugged, not looking swayed by her question. "Zach Salvatore," he stated simply, causing Caroline to pause. "His death was officially ruled a murder tonight."

"That's what the two of you were talking about while you did the dishes?" asked Caroline skeptically, quirking an eyebrow. Klaus shrugged again, this time not answering. "Did you know him?" she was curious, for what she'd known of Zach he hadn't done a terrible thing in his life, not the kind of guy you would expect to be murdered.

"The Salvatore?" asked Klaus, looking genuinely confused by her question as he swung his head around to look at her. "Not at all." There was a moment as he looked away that Caroline caught a flash of something dark in his eyes that told her Klaus _did_ know Zach. She kept her eyes on him, waiting for another crack in his barrier, but it never came. "I know the name, it's practically famous," (_which was true_, Caroline mused, suppressing an eye roll. Damon never let her forget it, but that was when they were almost-friends, practically a lifetime ago.) "But I've never found anything remarkable enough about the Salvatores to interest me in paying them any attention."

"_Burn_," stressed Caroline, shaking her head absently as she choked back a laugh. "The guy just died, don't be so insensitive."

"I've been through a lot worse, sweetheart," said Klaus, grinning at her good humoredly. Still, it reminded Caroline that he _had_ been through so much loss. She slipped her free hand into his, reminding herself to drink her wine, and changed the subject.

"So...do you have a whip to go with that Indiana Jones hat?"


End file.
